A
study "Structural Transformation Governing
Sustainability Of Building Materials" was undertaken to
assess the energy consumption and resultant emissions from
the construction sector in India. An important finding of
the study was that a growing gap between demand and supply
of crucial building materials exists and that the four
primary building materials; cement, steel, bricks and lime
account for more than 80% of the net emissions attributed to
the construction activity. The inevitable growth of
population and societal expectations over the next few
decades would require significant augmentation of supply of
energy intensive materials. To minimise the net CO2
emissions, would require the development of sustainable
production systems based on alternate low energy materials
and highly energy efficient technologies. A specific case of
walling was used to further examine factors that would
govern the introduction of such sustainable production
technologies.

The
net contribution of burnt bricks to the national economy is
very significant as it accounts for 27% of the emissions
resulting from production of construction materials. The
total CO2 emissions for 1989-90 for the four
primary building materials were estimated to be 80.5 million
tones. If the production of burnt bricks is allowed to grow
to meet the projected demand of housing, this would result
in a doubling of the energy requirement by 2020. The
resultant CO2 emission would also double during
the period 1990-2020 through continuation of the current
brick firing technologies. The net energy savings possible
from a series of actions involving improvement in
technology, introduction of energy efficient technologies
and partial material substitution for walling; has an energy
saving potential of 33% over current technologies. A further
50% reduction is possible through usage of industrial
wastes.

The
case study undertaken by Development Alternatives and TERI
with Environmental and Energy Audits conducted at existing
brick production sites concluded that the current
technologies are energy intensive and result in heavy
particulate pollution. The specific energy consumption for
bricks coupled with the large demand entails fuel
consumption equivalent to over ten million tones of coal per
annum. The most commonly practiced technology is the Bull’s
Trench Kiln with an average capacity of 30,000 bricks per
day. The fuel consumption ranges from 5.1 GJ to 3.2 GJ per
1000 bricks, in different parts of the country depending on
type of chimney, fuel type, soil type and firing practices.
The introduction of the fixed chimney kiln is one major
technology leap which occurred almost three decades ago. The
disheartening factor is that only 10% of the kilns
countrywide have adopted this technology variant even though
the fuel savings are well established.

The
existing brick production technologies result in high
suspended particulate matter which is injurious to health.
The emissions from the stack also effect the flora and fauna
in the surrounding areas. The detrimental affect on trees
and vegetation is quite serious from the point of view of
sustaining livelihoods. The damage to agriculture and
horticulture is also rampant in areas surrounding brick
clusters. The Honourable Supreme Court of India has issued
directives for discontinuing the movable chimney kilns and
for all brick kilns to conform to new environmental norms by
30 June 2001.

From
the above considerations it was concluded that new
technology options are needed to ensure augmentation of
supply of critical building materials; including bricks. It
is in this context that SDC initiated the VSBK Action
Research Project.

Action Research
Phase :

An
Action Research Programme was started in 1995 with the
objective of validating the potential of VSBK technology
under different soil-market-climate conditions in India and
evaluating its performance in comparison with conventional
practices. The programme was implemented by Development
Alternatives in association with Tata Energy Research
Institute, with the support of Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation, SKAT and Sorane Sa - two Swiss Consulting
Organisations provided technical guidance and support.

Four pilot VSBK’s were established in sequence, in
association with diverse partners. Technology support for
construction and operation were provided by the Chinese
experts from Energy Research Institute of Henan Academy of
Sciences at Zheng Zhou.

The pilot operations indicated better energy efficiency,
lower emissions than other technologies and better quality
in terms of colour, ring and strength compared to clamps.
Brick makers – big and small and concerned agencies such
as All India Brick and Tile Manufacturers Federation (AIBTMF),
Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC)
have shown keen interest in the project and are helping
guide its progress.

Subsequently, 3 more kilns were constructed in the year
2000; VSBK-5 at Gwalior in association with Yade Brick
Industries, VSBK-2000 at Datia by DA (as part of its VSBK
Service Centre),and VSBK-7 at Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh, in
association with Om Construction Company.

In this phase, many modifications were made by the Indian
team for achieving better performance of the kiln and
improvement in the working environment for the operators. Also, emphasis
of the project was enlarged to cover the overall brick
production system. These include methods to improve quality
of green bricks by introduction of extruders and mechanised handling
systems.

India Brick Project :
Predissemination PhaseThe
project has entered the Pre-dissemination Phase of the SDC
: India Brick Project (IBP) from 1 July 2000 and is
being facilitated by Fourth Vision Consultants. The main
objective of this phase is to develop strategies for
subsequent large-scale dissemination and build up capacity
and support facilities needed for dissemination. It is
planned to establish Lead Entrepreneurs and Technology
Providers for providing technology support services, in
markets where implementation by the five partner
organisations will be undertaken. A significant component of
the project is social actions for achieving stabilisation of
livelihoods in the brick industry.

With
the start of this phase, actions are underway for establishment
of a number of VSBK's in different parts of the country.
Typically, the kilns are being established by entrepreneurs
at their own cost after being convinced about the viability
of the VSBK technology. Kilns under various stages of
establishment under the aegis of the technology promoter
organisations.
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